Preparatory to screen-printing, artwork and/or indicia that is to be printed must be placed on the print screen. This is commonly done by creating the image on the print screen by use of a process that requires the presence of a light box or exposure unit that includes ultraviolet lighting. The light box and print screen need to be supported during the imaging procedure. A photographic emulsion is applied to the print screen and then the print screen is dried in the dark before exposure of the emulsion. After exposure, the screen is washed to remove a part of the emulsion that was not hardened by the ultraviolet light. Then, an article to be printed, i.e. a work piece, such as a garment, must be supported. The print screen must be properly positioned on the work piece and supported in that position. Then, ink is applied to the print screen for the purpose of printing the image on the work piece. At times, it is desired to apply heat to the printed work piece to increase the drying speed of the ink. There is a need for a screen-printing device that facilitates the performance of all of the above described functions and makes possible the quick and easy handling of the components and a proper positioning of the print screen relative to the first light box and then the work piece. An object of this invention is to provide a screen-printing device that fulfills this need.
For background purposes, reference is made to my aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,883,425 B2 and to U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,791, granted Oct. 18, 1994, to John R. Benedetto and William Gillespie, and to U.S. Pat. No. 5,622,108, granted Apr. 22, 1997, to John R. Benedetto, William Gillespie, James W. Palmeroy, Duke Goss and Charles J. Palmeroy, and to the reference patents listed in these patents.